Mercury air-exhauster



(No Model.)

Shets-Sheet 1.

' Patented May 9,, 1882.

inventor 2 sheets-sheet 2.

(No Model.)

B. A. EDWARDS.

MERCURY AIR EXHAUSTBR.

Patented May 9, 1882.

FFIC'E.

PATENT EDGAR A. EDWARDS, or CINCINNATI, OHIO.

MERCURY AIR-EXHYAUSTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 257,679, dated May. 9, 1882.

' Application st... April 19,1881. (NomodeLl a To all whom-it may concern:

-Be it known that I, EDGAR A. EDWARDS, a' citizen of the United States, and a resident of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and 5 State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mercury Air-Exhaust.- ers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvementin mercurial air-pumps.

The first part of my invention consists in providing a receiver carrying a sufiiciency of mercury, which reservoir is connected to guiderods, and is elevated and depressed by cranks and pulleys, and is connected to a primary mercury exhausting receiver, so that the exhanstion of air can be carried on rapidly by elevating and depressing the reservoir carrying the mercury column. Suitable cooks for admitting and cutting off the air are provided.

The second part of my invention consistsin providing a series of mercurial fall-tubes, com- 7 bined with a horizontal eommonVfeed-tube,

which connects at one or both ends with an elevated mercury-reservoirby means of a U- shaped supply-tube. This common feed-tube is connected to the receiver from which the air is to be exhausted, so as to utilize a compound series of falling tubes to hasten the exhaustion of air.

Theithird part consists in combining the first with the second part of my invention.

.There are several other important features of my invention relatiu g to detail parts of my exhauster, which will be fully explained in the following specification.

In. the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is r i an elevation of the machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view insectioual elevation, showing, the construction of parts of my machine. Fig. 3 is an elevation of i one of the supply-reservoirs, showing the guides upon which it travels broken off.

A A represent the frame on which my exhauster is mounted. a B represents a mercury-reservoir, which is made of glass and provided with ears or metallic guides 11, which connect with suitable guides, B, so that by means of pulley B and cord 1) and crank b the reservoir may be rapgo idly raised and depressed.

U represents a primary exhaust-receiver which has traps e e connectin g it with the receiver or vessel from which the air is to be removed.

0 represents a tube leading to reservoir B.

0 represents a flexible tube connecting parts B and G. v

0 represents an air-escape tube.

0 represents a mercury vair-seal, the end of tube 0 being below the surface of a mercury 60. column in the vessel 0. 1n forcing the air out through the column of mercury it escapes out of the top. of'vessel c", the pipe 0 not fitting closely to the same. The mercury in vessel 0 prevents the air from entering the pipe 0 to destroy the-vacuum.

0 represents a receiver to collect surplus mercury, which is run from the exhaust-chamber G into seal-vessel 0, so as to insure the complete exhaustion of the chamber (J and tube 0, both of .which are necessary to the displacement of the air in chamber 0 and pipe 0. This portion of my invention can be used as I an ordinary air-pump, and is much more rapid in its operation than others now in use.

D represents a series of fall-tubes, which are connected at the bottom to a' common discharge-chamber, D, the discharge end of r which is elevated to form a mercury air-seal to prevent the air forced out of the tubes D from entering the ends of the tubes P, the lower ends of which are below the surface of a body of mercury in the chamber D. The upper end of tubes D are connected to a common air-chamber, E, which has a pipe, E, and this pipe is connected to a U-shaped tube, F, which in turn taps a reservoir, F. This reservoir is shown as having afloat, F, in a body of mercury. 'When the chamber is empty the stem f, attached to float F, strikes an electric o alarm contact f, which is connected by wire to an alarm-box, H, and an alarm is sounded and more mercury is supplied from a reservoir,

G. This reservoir is made to rise and fall between guide-rods G, and is connected to a 5 pulley, I, by cords and pulleys g and .g. Pulley I may be turned by crank or other suitable means.

J represents a waste-vessel, into which mercury is emptied from the discharge-chamberD'. roo

J represents a flexible tube, and this may be made long enough to connect directly to reservoir G, which can be lowered to receive the discharge from chamber D. The common air-supply chamber E has a pipe-connection, e e, to the primary exhaust-chamber O.

K K are chambers filled with material for absorbing the impurities and moisture arising from the mercury. l

L represents the globe or vessel from which air is to be exhausted. It is connected by pipes to chambers K K, and thence bypipe l to chamber E, which is also connected to the primary exhaust-chamber O.

S represents a bulb-chamber in pipe F. p represents a pipe with a strainer over the end toremove the mechanical impurities from the mercury.

W represents a chamber forming an airtrap. The mercury is supplied. into the-chamber W by passing up through the pipe 12,- from the upper end of which it passes into the said chamber.

U represents a cock with a stem, r, reaching toward the bottom of chamber W when set in the position shown in Fig. 2. Themercury supplied from reservoirF is forced through pipe F into strainer-chamber S, thence by pipe pinto chamberW, when the air in the mercury rises above the mercury and the mercury is forced into the feed-tube E. In order to keep a constant supply in the series of pipes D, the sum of the areas of the orifices of these tubes is made smaller than the area of the supplypipe E. To allow the escape of air from chamber or air-trap W, a cock may be provided or the cock U may be raised.

l N represents a cook for connecting the chamber G alternately with pipes c and c, to exhaust the air from pipe eandescape the same through pipe 0.

Trepresen ts a radiometer, which is employed simply to indicate approximately the vacuum of the exhaust apparatus.

a B. represents a cock placed between the globe L and the exhausting apparatus, so that the vacuum in the exhauster can be retained while globe L is removed and a new one placed in position. v I

O P P R R represent a McOleod gage, with astop-cock, Q, inserted below the globe P, which may be'used as a substitute for the ordinary mercury vacuum-gage to determine the vacuum-pressure.

The lower end of radiometer T is provided with a two-way cock, N, for connecting and cutting off pipes e e. I

The primary portion of myapparatus (represented by the parts connecting to pipe 0) may be separately employed.. as an ordinary pump.

They are used for that p iirpose to remove rapidly the greater amount of'air from the vesse L.

In order to makea very high vacuum, cock N istur'ned and the primary-part is cut off,

and the secondary or drop tubes are brought This is accomplished by the mercury dropping from ,tube E, said tube having small orifices immediately above drop- .tubes D, through the tubes D into the escape -D, whence it passes out pipe J to be placed into the. supply-tank G to be used over again. It will be observed from the foregoing that the mercury-supply'tube E is suspended in an air-chamber over the drop-tubes, and connected therewith, and that the air-space be tween the mercury-supply tube and air-chamout with it the air, thus making a higher vacuum in the air-spaces from the vessel L around the tube E and through the droptubes. In otherwords, as fast as the drops of mercury carry out particles of air from the air-chamber around the mercury-tube E the air in the vessel L will descend to take its place, as the vacuum-pressure must equalize itself in the continuous air-space from the vessel L down to the mercury seal at the bottom of the drop-tubes D. As the orifices in tube E are very small, the mercury passes out in 4 small drops, and between each drop is carried a column of air. This process may be contin ueduntil a very high vacuum is produced. It is obvious that these drop-tubes are used to supplement the work of my primary pump. 9

by mercury or other similar matter in cups (1,

formed on the respective tubes in which they operate, to provide as'eal-joint and prevent the escape or entrance of air to affect the working of the apparatus.

It is obvious that this .exhauster may he used to remove elastic fluid gases of all kinds.

I claim- An air-exhauster composed substantially of the primary exhaust-chamber 0, having stop-cock N, pipe 0 c and seal a, and reservoir B, combined with guide-rods, cord, and pulley,

so as to be rapidly operated, in the manner substantially as herein set forth. I

2. The exhaust-chamber O, with the tubes e 0, connected to the top of said chamber, in

combination with the seal cut-off cock N, sub-- stantially as herein set forth. 3. The'combination of the series of drop-- tubes D with the air-chamber E, feed-tube E, and discharge chamber D, in combination with an elevated mercury-reservoir, F, for exhausting air from a vessel, L, in the mannersubstantially as herein set forth.

4. In combination with one or more drop-1 tubes, D, and reservoir F, the U-shaped tube I1,- with an air-trap, W, arranged to connect the parts,in themanner substantially as herein set forth.

In combination with the u-shaped tube 1 v F, the air-trap \V and seal cut-ofl'cock U, sub

stant-ially asherein 'set forth.

251mm 1 s 6. In combination tvith the reservoir F, the exhausting air from a vessel, L, in the manner float vF, and alarm j? H, the reservoir G, arsubstantially as hereinset forth.

ranged to beraised and lowered by cord and In testimony whereof I have hereunto set pulley, in combination with the reservoir F, my hand .in the presence of twosnbseribing 5 tube f, anfd. 'cllrop-tubes D, snbstantiailylas witnesses.

herein set ort l s 7. The combination of the primary. exhanst- 1 EDGAR EDWARDS ing apparatus B O with the 'eomponnd series Witnesses: I of drop-tubes D and'feed-tnbe E in air-eham- EUGENE L. FIRNKOESS, 1o ber'E and elevated mercury-reservoir F, for J. H. CHARLES SMITH. 

